Lost Memories
by aznkunoichi
Summary: After Sasuke defeated him at the Valley of the End, Naruto's memories were erased by an assassin. Years later, he meets two girls from his past. What will happen? Will he regain his memories?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

**This is my first Naruto fanfic ok? Please be nice and no flames please.

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Sasuke walked away from the bloody body on the ground. Naruto reached out to him. "Wait, don't go!" Sasuke paused for a second then walked away. Naruto passed out from exhaustion.

Two people- a girl and a boy- dropped down from their hiding place at the edge of the valley. "Hey, Mizuri, did you see that? The chakra looked like that of the Kyuubi."

The girl named Mizuri nodded. "Yes, Kurosu. That boy can be a perfect weapon for S-ranked assassins like us." Mizuri had long black hair tied into two braids. She wore a dark blue halter top and a black skirt. She wore no headband, yet anyone could tell that she was a skilled shinobi. What was really startling about her, though, was her silver eyes and pale complexion.

Kurosu had shoulder length brown hair and wore a dark red vest with black pants. Like Mizuri, he had the aura of a skilled ninja, but wore no headband. His brown eyes were normal and his physical form was not very special, but he could wield a bow with deadly accuracy. Both teens appeared no more than 15, but they were extremely powerful and intelligent.

"But, his heart is good. He won't be helpful to us if he refuses to kill," Kurosu said.

"No problem." Mizuri made a few hand signs. "Mind Swallowing Shadow Jutsu!" She laid her hands on Naruto's forehead and a black light enveloped him. Mizuri collapsed, exhausted.

"What did you do?" Kurosu asked.

Mizuri said weakly, "I just replaced his memories of his past with different memories. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to rest." Mizuri fell asleep.

Kurosu sensed others coming toward their location. "Summoning Jutsu!" A giant raven appeared. "Take us out of here," he commanded the raven. He tossed the unconscious Naruto and Mizuri on the raven's back and hopped on. "Take us home."

The giant bird flew away in the night.

Minutes later, a grey haired jonin entered the clearing. "Where's Sasuke? A better question is, where's Naruto?" He searched for hours without finding anything. He finally gave up.

Back in Konoha

"What do you mean you couldn't find Naruto and Sasuke?" Sakura screamed at Kakashi.

"I can't explain it. They were just gone," Kakashi said. It was bad enough that Sakura was yelling at him, but he was sure that the Hokage was going to yell at him too.

Hinata peeked into the room. "Is it true? Is Naruto-kun really gone?"

"Yeah."

"Is he… you know.. dead?" Hinata asked.

Tsunade walked into the room. "I would assume so. We will hold a private funeral for him, just his friends, seeing as all the villagers hate him."

The four shinobi stood in silence. Losing Naruto was like losing a part of their souls. Little did they know, Naruto was still alive, although it would be many years before any of them heard from him again.

With Naruto (around the same time period)

Naruto woke up in a dark room. "Where am I?" he asked weakly. He had a huge headache.

A girl approached him. "Do you remember anything yet?"

Naruto frowned. Suddenly, memories flooded his mind. However, the memories were not of Konoha. (don't worry, the memories that Naruto received form Mizuri will be revealed later)

Naruto noticed 7 other people next to the girl. The girl smiled. "Allow me to introduce Kurosu, Mikina, Asaka, Aira, Itaro, Sakomaru, and Hasuno." She gestured to a boy, three girls, and three more boys. "My name is Mizuri. We are assassins who work for anyone willing to pay. We are all listed in the Bingo Book as S-ranked ninja, so only other renegade ninja hire us. Of course, there are a few exceptions."

"Ok, so, I'm part of an assassin group and we're all friends here, right?" Naruto asked. He was confused. Mizuri just smiled and said, "Correct."

"You need your rest, so just go back to sleep. We will explain everything to you in the morning," Kurosu said. Naruto dropped back into a peaceful sleep.

"Wow, Mizuri. You and Kurosu really found a perfect weapon," Asaka said.

"Yeah, no wonder you're the leader," Hasuno looked at her admiringly.

Mizuri gave a wicked smile. "All he needs is a little training, and soon he'll be a perfect weapon indeed."

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**Don't worry about all of the holes in the story. They will be filled in when the time is right. If this chapter seemed sort of sucky to you, please keep reading. I'm sure it'll turn out better.**


	2. Chapter 2

**If you like this story, I'm begging you to please review! I love reviews. No flames please, though. Constructive critiscm is encouraged.**

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Six years later

Naruto raced through the forests in the Land of Fire. About seven ANBU from Konoha chased after him. No wonder. After assassinating the local daimyo's wife, the daimyo would really be angry. Suddenly, a boy and a girl appeared next to him.

"Naruto, head back to base. Itaro and I will take care of the ANBU," the girl said.

"Mikina's right. This'll be a piece of cake. Besides, Kurosu wants to talk to you about something," Itaro said.

"All right. Just be careful." Naruto leapt off.

The two 18 year old assassins turned to face the ANBU heading toward them. Mikina made some hand signs. "Fire Style: Housenka no Jutsu (Mystical Fire Phoenix Technique)!" Many fireballs converged on the approaching ANBU. Five were incinerated by the fireballs, however two escaped the flames. Itaro smiled. He threw kunai at the two ninja, killing them. Then both assassins used a water style jutsu to douse the flames in the trees. With their job done, both ninja leapt away.

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In Konoha

"Tsunade-sama, the shinobi that were sent to protect the daimyo's wife were killed. So was his wife," a jonin reported to Tsunade. "The assassins are probably going after the daimyo himself next. What should we do?"

"Leave. I need to think about this." The jonin left. Tsunade massaged her growing migraine. "I can't believe it. Seven ANBU killed by some teenage assassins." Tsunade pondered the situation. "I think that the best thing to do is send five elite ninja to protect the daimyo. Let's see. Sakura, Hinata, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Shino should do. They're all exceptional ninja. I'm sure they can deal with one or two assassins." Tsunade called, "Izumo, Kotetsu, get me these ninja…"

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Two hours later

"Tsunade-sama, you called us?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes. As you know, the daimyo's wife was recently assassinated. The daimyo himself will probably be next. We need shinobi to protect him. Shikamaru, you are in charge of this mission. This is an A-ranked mission. Don't fail."

"You can count on us!" Sakura said.

Tsunade smiled. "Good, you leave tonight."

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With Naruto

"You wanted to talk to me, Kurosu?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, I'll let Mizuri explain."

For the first time, Naruto noticed the tall girl standing in the shadows. Mizuri said, "As you know, Naruto, we are short in assassins. Jobs are coming in every day. More than just the nine of us can handle. Your next mission is to assassinate the daimyo. This time, instead of killing the daimyo's protectors, you are to capture them. There are only five. I'll take care of the rest."

"Sure, so I just capture them right?"

"Correct. Kurosu, brief him on his mission. I'm going out." Mizuri walked out of the room.

Kurosu said in a serious voice, "Listen up Naruto. As Mizuri already explained, you are to kill the daimyo. However, unlike regular mission, you'll have partners this time."

"Who?" Naruto asked.

"Me, Mikina, and Aira. There are five ninja. We will each capture one. Hasuno will take care of the killing. He's the fastest one out of all of us. Do not fail this mission. We are getting a lot of money for this mission. Don't blow it."

"I would not think of it. I've seen Mizuri angry. It's not a pretty sight."

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With the Konoha ninja

"Here are your rooms." A servant in the daimyo's castle showed the ninja to their rooms. The girls shared one room, while the boys shared another. "Just ring the bell if you need anything." The servant left.

Shikamaru laid out some papers on the bed. "Ok, here are our shifts. At 10-12, Sakura and Hinata will guard the daimyo. At 12-3, all of us will guard the daimyo. That is the time when assassins usually come. At 3-6, the boys will guard the daimyo. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Good, now let's get some sleep. It's going to be a long night."

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Around midnight

The four assassins were hidden in the shadows of the trees surrounding the castle. Kurosu said, "Remember our plans. Naruto has the pink haired girl. Mikina has the Hyuga girl. I'll take the Uchiha. Aira will take pineapple head. Hasuno is sneaking into the castle as we speak. As soon as it strikes one, we'll move in."

An hour later, the clock chimed one. The assassins leapt through an open window in the castle. A piercing scream filled the air. "Hasuno did it. Separate them. Go!" The assassins separated.

Hasuno was having some problems. He couldn't escape. Suddenly… "Hasuno, go! We'll take care of the rest!" Hasuno saw his opening and ran out into the dark night. The Konoha ninja were confused. The assassins had managed to separate the ninja. Each was in a different part of the castle.

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With Hinata

Hinata looked around. She couldn't find her friends anywhere. A young girl dropped down from the ceiling.

The mysterious girl smiled. "Hello Hyuga. I'm Mikina. I'll be your kidnapper today." Mikina was a tall girl with dark blue hair in a ponytail. She wore a black tank top with a dark purple miniskirt.

Mikina sized up the girl in front of her. This was an opponent she couldn't beat in a short amount of time usually. However, this was different. She just had to capture her.

Hinata activated her Byakugan. "I'm not afraid of you! Prepare to die!"

Mikina smiled. "I don't think so. Suigadan (Water Fang Projectile)!" A large drill made of water hit Hinata, instantly knocking her out. Mikina smiled. That was easier than she thought it would be. She grabbed Hinata and hid in the forest to wait for the others.

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With Shikamaru

"How troublesome. I'm separated from the others with no idea where I am. What a drag."

A mocking voice filled the air. "Poor little Shikamaru. Are you lonely? I'll put you out of your misery."

A girl stepped forward from the shadows. She had pale silver hair that hung loosely to her waist and she wore a pale blue corset with a white skirt. "My name's Aira. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She made a few hand signs. Shikamaru's eyes widened as a recognized the jutsu she was using. He looked around for a safe place to hide.

"Too late! Dai Kamitachi (Great Cutting Whirlwind Technique)!" The blast of wind knocked Shikamaru hard against the stone wall. The last thought that crossed his mind before he fell unconscious was, "How troublesome."

Aira watched her opponent fall to the ground. It really was a simple thing, capturing someone. She carried Shikamaru to the forest to wait.

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With Sasuke

Sasuke used a simple fire jutsu to light the darkness around him. Good idea. He saw Kurosu lunging at him through the dim light of the fire and quickly leapt back. He smirked. Amateur. That assassin really thought to kill him by hiding himself in the darkness. "What's your name?" Sasuke asked the assassin.

"My name's Kurosu. It's an honor to fight one of the last two members of the Uchiha clan." Kurosu said. "My business here is to, how should I put it, capture you."

Sasuke took a fighting pose. "It's not going to be easy, capturing me." Chakra began gathering into his hand. "Chidori!" he cried. He rushed at Kurosu only to be stopped by a giant raven.

"Sasuke, meet by raven friend, Matsumo. Matsumo, Sasuke. Now that we're done with introductions, Matsumo, knock him out." Matsumo flew toward Sasuke with amazing speed. In fact, Matsumo was so fast that Sasuke's reflexes weren't quick enough to dodge the attack. Matsumo's giant talon connected with Sasuke's head and Sasuke fell to the ground. Kurosu picked up Sasuke and joined the others to await Naruto.

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With Sakura

Sakura looked around anxiously for Sasuke. She couldn't lose him now! Not when they finally got him back last year! Suddenly, she got goosebumps. She was sure that someone was watching her. Somewhere behind her. Sakura quickly gathered chakra to her hands and punched the ground. Hard. The ground split open and Sakura could just make out a dark figure leaping up. Sakura made a few hand signs. She would use a jutsu that Sasuke had taught her recently. "Gokakyuu no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique)!" A stream of fire hurtled at her unseen attacker. The assassin dodged, but the flames lit some of the lanterns on the wall, giving her a good view of the assassin.

"Naruto?"

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Sakura's POV

I stared in shock at the ninja in front of me. I must be dreaming. There's no way Naruto could be alive. There's no way. He died years ago. His body was never found. Yet, he's standing in front of me. I remember that blond hair and whiskers on his face so well. He was more muscular than I remembered him to be. Instead of his jumpsuit, he now wore an orange and black jacket and black pants. But, he no longer wore his headband.

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Normal POV

Sakura was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice Naruto coming at her until it was too late. Naruto's fist connected with her face and she slid to the ground, unconscious.

Naruto looked at the girl in front of him. She seemed so familiar, yet he couldn't remember anything about her. With a sigh, he picked her up and joined Kurosu and the others in the forest. Their job was done.

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**I know that it seems like a NarutoxSakura fanfic right now, but it's going to end up as a NarutoxHinata fanfic.**

**If you liked this, please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews everyone! I really appreciate it!**

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With Naruto

Naruto and the others returned with the unconscious ninja on their backs. Mizuri was waiting for them. "Welcome back," she greeted. "You can go ahead and put them down. I'll just do a little jutsu to suppress their chakras while we talk."

The four assassins put down the four Konoha ninja. Mizuri made a few hand signs. "Chakra Suppression Jutsu." She touched the foreheads of the Konoha ninja lightly. As she did, each ninja stirred. "Carry them inside. Asaka already prepared rooms for them. The girls go in one room, the boys in another. Each room is connected by a door. Don't forget to lock every door. After that, come to the lounge. I have a surprise for you."

The Konoha ninja were carefully placed on their beds. Kurosu locked the doors and the assassins headed for the lounge to hear Mizuri's "surprise".

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With the Konoha ninja

Hinata was the first to wake. After discovering that she couldn't use her chakra, she explored the small room she shared with Sakura. Hinata discovered that the room was securely locked except for the small connecting door leading to the boys' room. As she finally sat back down, Sakura woke up.

"Sakura, you're finally awake." Hinata said happily.

"Hinata, where are we?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know. The last thing I remember was being knocked out by that girl."

"Same here. Only… the person who fought me looked like Naruto."

"What? He's dead!"

Sakura calmed down her friend. "Relax, I'll explain everything when the boys wake up."

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With Naruto

As he walked down the hall with the other assassins, Naruto thought to himself. Who was that girl? She acted as if she knew him. That's impossible!

"Is there anything wrong Naruto?" Aira asked.

"No, it's nothing." Naruto's thoughts wandered away again, but as soon as he saw Mizuri's silver eyes, he completely forgot about those thoughts.

Mizuri smiled. "Good. You're all here. Itaro, Sakomaru, show them the surprise." The two boys stepped forward with two bags and dumped them onto the ground. Hundreds of gold coins spilled out. All the assassins gasped.

"Surprised? The ninja that hired us gave us a LOT of money for assassinating the daimyo. This money will be in Asaka's possession for the time being, seeing as she's our treasurer. Whenever you want to use some money, ask Asaka first. Now, Kurosu, tell them about the prisoners." Mizuri left without another word.

Kurosu took over. "Ok listen up everyone. This is really important. The prisoners are going to be future assassins, so they should be treated well. There are 4 prisoners. Each of you will be given care of one of them. Naruto, you'll take care of the Hyuga girl. Aira, you'll take Pinky. Mikina, you have Pineapple Head, and Sakomaru has Uchiha. None of you are to remove the chakra binding jutsu that Mizuri used on them. Treat them well. When they are deemed worthy to become an assassin, Mizuri will remove their memories and they will join us as an assassin. Any questions?"

There were no questions. "Good, start taking care of your prisoner. I also suggest putting them in the empty rooms next to yours so that they cannot plot an escape plan."

The ninja departed. The four who were chosen by Kurosu went off to collect their prisoners one at a time. Mikina came out first leading a tied up Shikamaru to his rooms. Shikamaru stared in shock at seeing Naruto.

Next was Sakomaru, who came out carrying Sasuke. Sasuke stared at Naruto calmly, but Naruto could sense that Sasuke was also surprised.

After that was Aira, who came out with Sakura. Naruto looked away as she came out without knowing why.

Aira said, "Go ahead and take the Hyuga girl. Everyone's gone. After that, you can come down for dinner. Asaka made kimchi and sushi!" Noticing Naruto's look, she added, "Ramen too."

With a smile on his face, Naruto went inside the room to pick up Hinata. When he entered the room, he saw Hinata staring out of the barred window. He smirked. "Staring outside isn't going to get you your freedom you know."

At the sound of his voice, Hinata turned around. Her eyes widened in shock.

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Hinata's POV

I couldn't believe it. What Sakura said was true. Naruto is alive. I wanted to cry with happiness. But for some reason, I just couldn't. I noticed the change in Naruto's eyes from six years ago. They were so emotional and warm before. Now, his eyes were cold and seemed crueler than before. Suddenly, I felt weak. The shock of seeing Naruto again and my lack of food must have made me too weak to keep conscious. The last thing I saw before I fainted was Naruto's face, staring worriedly at me.

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Normal POV

Naruto caught Hinata moments before she hit the ground. He studied the girl. She had waist length dark blue hair and her eyes had the traditional look of the Hyuga. She seemed quite frail.

Naruto quickly fitted a glowing collar to her neck. "This collar should prevent you from going past the boundaries of our home."

After making sure that the collar was secured, he carried Hinata to her new room. Unbeknownst to him, a small silver locket fell from Hinata's neck to the floor of the room.

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About one hour later

Naruto sat in the dining room with the others eating his dinner. He munched on some fish while listening to the others talk.

Mikina leaned over to Naruto. "Hey, Naruto, did you hear what Mizuri said just now?"

"Um…no."

Mikina sighed. "Naruto, don't you ever listen to Mizuri? She said that food will be prepared for the prisoners. We're supposed to feed them after our dinner."

Naruto shrugged. He couldn't care less about the prisoners. He just wanted to finish his ramen.

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With Hinata

Hinata woke up in a small room different from the one she had been staying in. She put a hand to her neck for her locket only to find a collar there instead. Tsunade gave her that locket and it was precious to her. To her, that locket represented a friend. Without the locket and her friends, she was all alone.

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With Naruto

Naruto collected the food for Hinata and went to give her the food. His mind was whirling. Why did the girl act like she knew him? He'd never seen her before in his life.

Mizuri appeared in front of him. "Is something wrong Naruto?" Her silver eyes peered intently at him.

"No, just thinking about the girl. Did it seem like she knew me?" he asked. For some reason, just peering into Mizuri's eyes made him want to forget those thoughts.

Mizuri laughed. "Of course not. You've been with us for years. She would never know you. Now be a good host and don't starve the poor girl."

Naruto nodded. He headed up to Hinata's room. He pushed open the door quietly. A quiet voice in the room asked, "Naruto?"

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**You might ask: why the big fuss about the locket? You'll see. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this took so long. School has been overwhelming. Enjoy!**

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With Hinata

Hinata just sat in her room thinking about Naruto. Suddenly, the door opened and she turned around. In the doorway was Naruto holding a plate of food.

Hinata gasped. "Naruto?" Naruto said nothing. He just put down the plate and walked out. Hinata could hear the click of the lock.

Hinata sat down on the bed with shock. That was definitely Naruto. She wondered what had happened to him for the last six years. She ate her food, which was surprisingly good, and fell into a deep sleep, exhausted.

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In the morning with Naruto

After making sure that Hinata had breakfast, Naruto headed down to the dining room to get breakfast for himself. In the middle of breakfast, Mizuri stood up.

"Ok today you will all be training out in the forest. Those who have prisoners to take care of are to take the prisoners with them. We'll evaluate them."

The four guards went off to collect their prisoners.

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One hour later

The four prisoners were escorted to the edge of the mansion.

"This might be our chance to escape," Shikamaru whispered to everyone else.

Asaka stepped out from the mansion. She was a slim girl with black hair tied back into a low ponytail. She wore a black and white miko outfit.

"If you're thinking about escape, you have no chance. The collars around your neck prevent you from going past a certain perimeter of the forest. Today, your chakra blocks will be removed and you will be sent out in the forest. Naruto, Hasuno, Sakomaru, and Mikina will also be sent out with you. Itaro will supervise the training. Your job is to avoid capture as long as possible."

The five assassins stepped out. Hasuno had cropped dark green hair. He wore a brown shirt with semi long black pants. Sakomaru had messy black hair that looked like he had just gotten out of bed. He wore a typical assassin's outfit with a long white sash around the waist. Itaro had brown hair tied up in a ponytail (if you watch Bleach, I'm thinking of Renji's hair). He wore a dark green top with black pants.

Asaka walked up to each of the Konoha ninja and removed the seal on them. As soon as they were released, they leapt off.

The assassins gave the shinobi a five minute head start. After that, they began to leap off in search of a target.

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With the Konoha ninja

Shikamaru gathered everyone around him. "Ok clearly we're not going to escape, so let's do the best we can and beat these assassins." He stopped. "Where are the girls?"

Sasuke looked around. "They're not here. They must have gotten lost in the forest."

Both boys had no more time to think about the girls as Hasuno and Sakomaru appeared. Hasuno fired off a water jutsu at the boys. Shikamaru and Sasuke managed to dodge the quick burst of water that was headed straight for them.

"What do you think Sakomaru?" Hasuno whispered.

"Their skills aren't that bad. After all, they managed to dodge your jutsu," Sakomaru laughed. "This is going to be fun…"

* * *

With the girls

"Uh, Hinata I think we should stop a little. We're never going to find anyone wandering around like this," Sakura said. She was worried about the boys, especially Sasuke.

The girls settled down for a break. Hinata's Byakugan picked up two people heading their way. She took a fighting stance.

"Hinata what's wrong?"

"Two assassins are coming. The one named Mikina and… Naruto."

Both girls stiffened. They didn't particularly enjoy the fact that they were facing two skilled assassins by themselves.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!** (Shadow clone jutsu)" Exact replicas of Naruto leapt out at the two girls. Hinata and Sakura each handled about 10 without difficulty.

"Those clones weren't very tough," Sakura said to Hinata.

"I know something must be wrong."

Sakura spun around with a kunai in her hand just in time to stop Mikina's shuriken from burying themselves into the girls' bodies.

Naruto leapt out from the top of a tree and with a swift strike, knocked out Hinata. Mikina followed suit with Sakura.

"So how was it Itaro?" Mikina called out.

Itaro stepped out from behind a tree. "Well, their reflexes and speed are very good, but we didn't see any of their jutsus yet. Just take them back to Asaka so that their chakra blocks can be replaced."

Naruto sighed. "Where's Mizuri?"

"Oh, Mizuri went off scouting for new assassins. Asaka says she's on her way back with a new member."

"Ok, just wondering. Mizuri promised to help me train today." Mikina and Naruto leapt off.

Mikina looked at Naruto curiously. "Did you want Mizuri to help you train your Kyuubi powers?" she asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I want to learn how to properly control all this chakra I have in my body."

* * *

With the boys

Shikamaru and Sasuke were in trouble. Sakomaru and Hasuno had them cornered and were shooting icicles and rocks at them relentlessly. An unlucky shot caught Shikamaru in the head, knocking him into darkness. A swarm of icicles pulverized Sasuke and also knocked him out.

"Hey Itaro. How were they?" Sakomaru called out.

"They dodged your icicles and rocks for quite a long time. That's pretty impressive." Itaro surveyed the scene. "However, Sasuke's fire jutsu damaged a part of this forest… I wonder who's to blame for that."

Hasuno grinned and shrugged.

Itaro smiled. "Anyway, besides the fact that you burned a large part of the forest, you did a good job. Take them back to the castle and have Asaka place the chakra blocks back on."

* * *

Back at the castle

Mizuri called all the assassins to a meeting. She introduced a young girl to the gathered assassins. "Everyone, meet Kitty. Her real name's Isira, but she prefers to be called Kitty."

Kitty smiled. "HI EVERYONE! IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU." Everyone jumped at this sudden outburst.

After regaining their composure, they waved back and grinned nervously.

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**I'll try and update quickly. By the way, I based Kitty's character off of Hunny from Ouran High School Host Club. Please review. Remember, no flames.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sooooo sorry this took a long time to update. I've been really busy ever since I got back from spring break. You know private schools, they like to give kids a lot of homework.**

**Enjoy this chapter!**

**Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

* * *

A few weeks later

The Konoha ninja and the assassins were out in the forest again. This time, however, the Konoha ninja were actually giving the assassins a challenge. The fight had been going on for several hours now.

"Hyahhhh!" Sasuke punched Naruto heavily in the head. Naruto fell to the trees below. Mikina stopped by to check on him.

"Are you all right Naruto?"

Naruto sat up. "I'm fine."

Mikina laughed. "Are you sure? I haven't seen you get hit like that ever since Mizuri hit you for burning down her room."

Kitty stopped by the branch.

"What are you doing here Kitty?" Mikina asked.

"Hasuno got K.O.d by Sakura. I'm here to take his place. This should be fun… Watch out!"

The three assassins jumped away just in time to avoid Shikamaru's shadow.

Sakomaru jumped down from the top of a tree. "They're getting better, especially the strategist. He knocked out Hasuno using a concussion."

"This should knock out the strategist, Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Kitty yelled. A rush of wind headed toward Shikamaru, however Sakura used her super strength to destroy Shikamaru's tree branch. Shikamaru dropped safely to the ground below.

Itaro appeared in front of the assassins. "It's getting late. I'll place the chakra blocks on the ninja and we'll call it a day."

* * *

About one hour later

The assassins were having a meeting. Kurosu stood up. "As you know, the ninja have been improving their skills. One of them actually defeated Hasuno today." He stopped to glare at Hasuno. "Anyway, tomorrow there will be no training. Take the ninja out to town or something and relax. Mizuri and I have some preparations to take care of. Any questions? Kitty?"

"Are the ninja allowed to talk to each other now? Also, are you going to eat that cookie?"

"Yes, they're allowed to talk to each other. And yes, I'm finishing this cookie. Ok, if there are no more questions, you can go have fun with your prisoners now."

The assassins left the room, leaving Kurosu, Kitty, and Mizuri in the room. "Any news of the spy we have among us?" Mizuri asked Kurosu.

"No, not yet. What's so special about this spy anyway?"

Mizuri looked unhappy. "He or she is giving out information about us to Konoha. The Hokage knows that we have their ANBU here. They are planning out an attack right now."

"So how are we supposed to catch this spy?"

Mizuri smiled. "That's why I hired Kitty. She's an expert tracker. She'll have our spy in no time."

"Yep just leave it to me!" Kitty screamed.

Mizuri smiled, while Kurosu just looked skeptical.

* * *

With Sakura

Sakura was sitting in her room talking to Aira. The white haired girl and the pink haired girl had actually become good friends during the course of Sakura's imprisonment.

"Aira, how did you become an assassin? I mean, past that tough exterior, you're a lot like Hinata. Neither of you like to fight much," Sakura asked.

"Well, I don't really like to talk about my past, but since I consider you a friend, sure," Aira said. After making sure no one else was listening, she launched into her story.

"I was born in a small village outside of Konoha. I had two younger brothers and one younger sister. I always wanted to be a shinobi, but I had to stay at home all day to take care of my siblings. One day, I was out in the forest gathering wood for the fireplace. When I came home, my entire village was in flames. I saw a giant crow fleeing the village. It had blood red eyes and a shadow stood on top of it. I'm pretty sure it was a girl. I thought it was Matsumo at first, but Matsumo is Kurosu's partner. The figure on the crow's back was a girl. Anyway, I fainted. When I woke up, Mizuri was taking care of me. She told me that she saw potential in me and offered to train me as an assassin. So, here I am now…"

There was an awkward silence.

Aira broke the silence. "So, Sakura, you're pretty close to Sasuke right? How long have you been going out?"

"About two years or so," Sakura said. She was thankful for the change in subject. "Do you like anyone, Aira?"

Aira looked hesitant. "Yes."

"Who?!" Sakura squealed.

"Um… Itaro. He's a really good ninja and he's cute also. He's always been nice to me, from my first days here up until now," Aira said. "I was the fifth one to join the assassins. The order goes like this: Mizuri, Kurosu, Asaka, Itaro, me, Mikina, Sakomaru, Hasuno, Naruto, and Kitty."

"Where did Naruto come from?" Sakura asked. That was the question that had been bothering her for quite some time.

Aira frowned. "I'm not sure. Mizuri and Kurosu came back a few years ago with an unconscious Naruto. I'm pretty sure Mizuri placed a memory block on him. Do you know him?"

Sakura thought about how to answer this question. If she answered yes, Mizuri would probably prevent Aira from giving out any more information about Naruto. "No, of course not."

Aira got up and stretched. "I'm going now. I have a mission to take care of. Would you like to go visit Hinata?"

"Sure!" Sakura said. In truth, she just wanted to tell Hinata about her newfound knowledge.

* * *

With Hinata

"Sakura!" she cried as her friend entered the room.

"I'll be back in a couple hours to take you back to your room, Sakura," Aira called.

"No problem!" Sakura shouted back.

Hinata hugged Sakura happily. It had been a while since they had been alone together. "So what's the reason for this sudden visit?" she asked.

Sakura's face became serious. "Hinata, I was talking with Aira, and I learned some things. Naruto was brought here by Mizuri and Kurosu. Aira suspects that Mizuri put some sort of memory block on him. Naruto didn't betray Konoha. He was manipulated into becoming an assassin."

It took Hinata a few minutes to take all that information into her mind. "In that case, Naruto can return to Konoha if we break the jutsu that's controlling him right?"

Sakura laughed. "Yep. You must really love Naruto. You've avoided talking about him ever since we were brought here."

The two friends laughed and talked, determined to make the rest of their time together happy ones.

* * *

Meanwhile

Aira met with Itaro on the roof of the mansion. "Itaro, why did you call me up here?"

Itaro was silent.

"Are you worried about the spy Mizuri told us about? I wonder who it is. It just seems so unlikely that it could be any of us," Aira said to Itaro.

"…Yeah. I wonder who could betray Mizuri," Itaro answered, looking away.

* * *

With Naruto

Naruto raced through the forest with Sakomaru, on their mission to infiltrate Konoha.

* * *

**I'm already working on the next chapter, so it shoudn't take me too long to update this.**


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